The present invention relates generally to the treatment of contaminated waste water at or from an industrial site or a landfill leachate, or in any other setting, and also to the growing of trees for earth remediation treatment of waste water, or contaminated soil or groundwater. More specifically, the present invention concerns methods and apparatus for the growth and use of trees for remediating industrial waste water or contaminated soil or groundwater.
The preservation and protection of the environment are among the most paramount social and economic issues affecting our society today. In instances where soil and/or groundwater have been contaminated by industry, the assessment of the contamination must be swiftly implemented, and the remediation of the assessed contamination must be as effective and inexpensive as possible.
Of course, preventing the contamination of soil and groundwater as a proactive step is a logical and extremely important objective. Thus, in most instances, industry is required by regulation to take timely prophylactic measures rather than reacting to contamination later on. Thus industrial waste water, broad term used to encompass any kind of contaminated or potentially contaminated water from an industrial or like setting, must be treated prior to being discharged into a sewer system or anywhere else leading to ultimate discharge into the environment. Presently, techniques for remediation of industrial waste water include the use of activated carbon filters, settling basins, resin columns, waste water lagoons, aeration systems, reverse osmosis, and ultra-filtration.
In such situations, the waste water itself must be treated in some manner before it is discharged into the environment. Otherwise, soil or groundwater water may become contaminated with the constituents contained within the waste water.
The use of vegetation for remediation of contaminated soil or groundwater water is known and is often referred to as "phytoremediation." An explanation of contamination and remediation, and particularly bioremediation (i.e., techniques which take advantage of natural biological processes) is contained within U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,829,191 and 5,829,192. These patents also disclose techniques of applicant for using vegetation to remediate contaminated soil or ground water. These patents are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety as if fully set forth herein.
The techniques described in applicant's above patents can be used to remediate waste water in any setting, including an industrial setting where waste water is discharged from an industrial plant as a by-product of a manufacturing process or other processes.
Vegetation used for remediation purposes is typically not grown in a special manner for remediation purposes only. The above patents disclose certain techniques for growing trees so that remediation is commenced more quickly and efficiently than with other techniques. These techniques and the apparatus used therewith facilitate the growth of a root system which is long, such that when grown at a contaminated site for remediation, the root system and its large surface area is at or substantially closer to the depth or source of contamination. These techniques include the initial growth of vegetation off-site for later transplanting at a contaminated site.
The present invention provides for the efficient use of vegetation for the remediation of a contaminated site or the remediation of discharged industrial waste water. It includes techniques and apparatus which are effective for remediation as well as versatile for adaptation for various applications. In some ways, the present invention builds on and improves the techniques disclosed in the above patents. One aspect of the present invention is directed to the actual remediation of contaminated water, such as discharged industrial waste water or landfill leachate water, and another aspect relates to the growth of vegetation for use in remediation.